11/15/2017

Audiobook Review: The Party by Robyn Harding

In this stunning and provocative domestic drama about a sweet sixteen birthday party that goes horribly awry, a wealthy family in San Francisco finds themselves entangled in a legal battle, their darkest secrets revealed, and their friends turned to enemies. One invitation. A lifetime of regrets. Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s picture perfect life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to unravel. A lawsuit is filed that irrevocably changes their relationship, reveals dark secrets in the Sanders’ marriage, and exposes the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah.

Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other. Audiobook, eAudiobookPublished June 6th 2017 by Simon Schuster AudioSource: Publisher

Three and a half stars: An evocative book with deeply flawed characters that will haunt you long after you finish.

Jeff and Kim Sanders are throwing a small slumber party for their daughter, Hannah, on her sixteenth birthday. Hannah is a smart girl who has never been in trouble, so neither parent is worried about hosting the party. That night, Kim lays down the rules for the girls: no drinking, no drugs, no boys. She retires to bed without further thought only to be awoken hours later by her daughter covered in blood and crying. A tragic accident occurred under their roof that will irrevocably alter lives, friendships and expose dark secrets. Who is to blame?

What I Liked:

The Party is a thought provoking book that will open your eyes and start discussions. This is a book that will haunt you for days to come after you read it.

The story features a cast of unlikable characters, which is often hard for the reader because more than likely, you will not connect with a character, but in this book it works. The characters are all deeply flawed, and they make plenty of mistakes. Yet there are ordinary people who are affected by a horrible tragedy. Each and every one of the characters is compelling in their own way.

I liked that this one was all about the fall out and the secrets that come to light after the accident. Everyone makes mistakes, some are far worse than others, but who is really to blame? It was interesting exploring all the angles, and learning the motives behind everyone’s behavior.

I appreciated that the author took on a troubling topic. Who is to blame when teenage drinking goes horribly wrong? This is a book that will make you sit up and take note and think twice about things if you are a parent. Grab this one, read it, and talk about it.

I enjoyed the story, and I liked all the developments and the turn of events. It was unsettling, frustrating and it even made me angry to read this book, but in the end, it was a good life lesson.

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Cassandra Campbell. I thought she did a wonderful job with the characters.

And The Not So Much:

The end left me wanting more. It does close most of the major story lines, but a few things are left undone. I wanted to know the fate of one particular character. I also didn’t like that certain characters never had to face the consequences for their behavior.

As I mentioned, this was hard to read because I didn’t like any of the characters. They are all selfish, sometimes hostile and nasty, and none of them handle the situation appropriately. It was hard to stomach their behavior. Still I have to hand it to the author for writing interesting characters who were deeply flawed.

I didn’t like that the mystery of what went on at the part was revealed so early on. It would have been more suspenseful without the early reveal.

There is some horrible and ugly bullying incidents in this. It bothered me that not one of the adults, or anyone in the school did anything about the bullying.

The Party is one of those reads that will stick with me for a long time. This is a raw, horrible and disturbing book that exposes what happens when a night of teenage drinking goes wrong and ruins lives. Who is responsible? The characters are unlikable and they make terrible choices, but you will continue to read this train wreck to find out what happens. I promise, this one will make you sit up and think. It is a great life lesson. Read it and talk about it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

Comments

Audiobook Review: The Party by Robyn Harding

In this stunning and provocative domestic drama about a sweet sixteen birthday party that goes horribly awry, a wealthy family in San Francisco finds themselves entangled in a legal battle, their darkest secrets revealed, and their friends turned to enemies. One invitation. A lifetime of regrets. Sweet sixteen. It’s an exciting coming of age, a milestone, and a rite of passage. Jeff and Kim Sanders plan on throwing a party for their daughter, Hannah—a sweet girl with good grades and nice friends. Rather than an extravagant, indulgent affair, they invite four girls over for pizza, cake, movies, and a sleepover. What could possibly go wrong?

But things do go wrong, horrifically so. After a tragic accident occurs, Jeff and Kim’s picture perfect life in a wealthy San Francisco suburb suddenly begins to unravel. A lawsuit is filed that irrevocably changes their relationship, reveals dark secrets in the Sanders’ marriage, and exposes the truth about their perfect daughter, Hannah.

Harkening to Herman Koch’s The Dinner, Christos Tsiolkas’s The Slap, and Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies, The Party takes us behind the façade of the perfect family, exposing the lies, betrayals, and moral lapses that neighbors don’t see—and the secrets that children and parents keep from themselves and each other. Audiobook, eAudiobookPublished June 6th 2017 by Simon Schuster AudioSource: Publisher

Three and a half stars: An evocative book with deeply flawed characters that will haunt you long after you finish.

Jeff and Kim Sanders are throwing a small slumber party for their daughter, Hannah, on her sixteenth birthday. Hannah is a smart girl who has never been in trouble, so neither parent is worried about hosting the party. That night, Kim lays down the rules for the girls: no drinking, no drugs, no boys. She retires to bed without further thought only to be awoken hours later by her daughter covered in blood and crying. A tragic accident occurred under their roof that will irrevocably alter lives, friendships and expose dark secrets. Who is to blame?

What I Liked:

The Party is a thought provoking book that will open your eyes and start discussions. This is a book that will haunt you for days to come after you read it.

The story features a cast of unlikable characters, which is often hard for the reader because more than likely, you will not connect with a character, but in this book it works. The characters are all deeply flawed, and they make plenty of mistakes. Yet there are ordinary people who are affected by a horrible tragedy. Each and every one of the characters is compelling in their own way.

I liked that this one was all about the fall out and the secrets that come to light after the accident. Everyone makes mistakes, some are far worse than others, but who is really to blame? It was interesting exploring all the angles, and learning the motives behind everyone’s behavior.

I appreciated that the author took on a troubling topic. Who is to blame when teenage drinking goes horribly wrong? This is a book that will make you sit up and take note and think twice about things if you are a parent. Grab this one, read it, and talk about it.

I enjoyed the story, and I liked all the developments and the turn of events. It was unsettling, frustrating and it even made me angry to read this book, but in the end, it was a good life lesson.

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Cassandra Campbell. I thought she did a wonderful job with the characters.

And The Not So Much:

The end left me wanting more. It does close most of the major story lines, but a few things are left undone. I wanted to know the fate of one particular character. I also didn’t like that certain characters never had to face the consequences for their behavior.

As I mentioned, this was hard to read because I didn’t like any of the characters. They are all selfish, sometimes hostile and nasty, and none of them handle the situation appropriately. It was hard to stomach their behavior. Still I have to hand it to the author for writing interesting characters who were deeply flawed.

I didn’t like that the mystery of what went on at the part was revealed so early on. It would have been more suspenseful without the early reveal.

There is some horrible and ugly bullying incidents in this. It bothered me that not one of the adults, or anyone in the school did anything about the bullying.

The Party is one of those reads that will stick with me for a long time. This is a raw, horrible and disturbing book that exposes what happens when a night of teenage drinking goes wrong and ruins lives. Who is responsible? The characters are unlikable and they make terrible choices, but you will continue to read this train wreck to find out what happens. I promise, this one will make you sit up and think. It is a great life lesson. Read it and talk about it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.